UFC Fight Night: Lawrence Lui vs Hector Santiago Preview & Prediction

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Road to UFC victory, Lawrence Lui, makes his first appearance outside of the tournament, taking on the debuting Hector Santiago at 135 pounds.

Lawrence Lui vs Hector Santiago facts

What time are Lawrence Lui and Hector Santiago expected to walk out? 29 August 2026 at 9:00 am

Where is UFC Fight Night: Nurmagomedov vs Song? SPD Bank Oriental Sports Center, Shanghai, China

Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night: Nurmagomedov vs Song? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC Fight Night 286

What TV channel is UFC Fight Night: Nurmagomedov vs Song on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – Paramount

Where can I stream UFC Fight Night: Nurmagomedov vs Song? UK – TNT Sports can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and HBO Max / USA – Paramount+ & UFC Fight Pass

UFC Fight Night: Nurmagomedov vs Song main card

Umar Nurmagomedov vs Song Yadong (Bantamweight)

Yan Xiaonan vs Denise Gomes (Women's Strawweight)

Aori Qileng vs Kai Asakura (Bantamweight)

Su Mudaerji vs Alex Perez (Flyweight)

Liu Ce vs Levi Rodrigues Jr. (Light Heavyweight)

Bilal Hasan vs Nilson Rojas (Flyweight)

UFC Fight Night: Nurmagomedov vs Song prelims

Namsrai Batbayar vs Andre Lima (Flyweight)

Rei Tsuruya vs Kevin Borjas (Flyweight)

Jack Jenkins vs Sean Woodson (Featherweight)

Xiao Long vs Francesco Nuzzi (Bantamweight)

Lawrence Lui vs Hector Santiago (Bantamweight)

Xiong Jingnan vs Julia Polastri (Women's Strawweight)

Ding Meng vs Cameron Nelson (Welterweight)

Lawrence Lui: Will CKB produce another standout contender?

Fighting out of CKB, Road to UFC bantamweight winner, Lawrence Lui (8-1) bested Sulangrangbo at UFC 325 to win the tournament via split decision. A polished striker who uses slick head movement and feints to set up crisp counter shots, the 30 year old Kiwi is also a notable wrestling threat, having scored thirteen takedowns across three fights on the way to victory in Road to UFC. “Lok Yin” is currently riding a five fight win streak and has earned four victories by way of KO.

Hector Santiago: The former kickboxer seeking to produce debut fireworks

Poised to make his UFC debut in enemy territory following a first round KO on Renato Moicano’s promotion in May, Hector Santiago (6-1) turned his hand to MMA after an extensive number of boxing and kickboxing bouts. The 33 year old Brazilian throws sharp combinations with heavy hands and stalks his opponents to put them to good use, with all but one of his MMA victories coming by way of KO. He’s also fought under the Karate Combat banner, losing to Apollo Gomes by first round TKO last October.

Lawrence Lui vs Hector Santiago prediction

Lui looks to be good value as a moderate favorite here. The CKB representative has slick striking and KO power, while his first bout under the UFC banner showed that he’s capable of mixing in takedowns to earn the victory if he’s unable to score a knockout.

By contrast, Santiago is completely unproven at a high level of MMA, having fought the entirety of his MMA career on the Brazilian regional circuit. He’s coming off an impressive first round KO win, but he has also been submitted by regional level competition and succumbed to a TKO loss in his sole appearance on Karate Combat.

A Lui victory isn’t a foregone conclusion; with a wealth of kickboxing experience, Santiago is a decent striker with thudding power and Lui has been hurt on the feet before. It’s not out of the realms of possibility that the Brazilian catches the Kiwi napping and bombs him out of there in the early goings. However, if he’s unable to find an early finish, I envision Lui finding his flow and picking Santiago apart on the feet, mixing in takedowns once again to grind his way to a decision.

Prediction: Lawrence Lui to win by decision